Are iPad POS Systems The Future For Retailers?

Apple's newly introduced iPad Mini is seen during Apple's special event at the California Theatre in San Jose on October 23, 2012 in California. Apple said November 5, 2012, it sold three million iPads in the first three days of its launch of the iPad mini and fourth-generation model of its original format iPad. The tech giant said demand for iPad mini 'exceeded the initial supply,' meaning some orders will be delayed until later this month. Apple did not break down precise sales of the mini -- the seven-inch tablet which joins several other small-format tablets -- and the new iPad, which has a 10-inch screen. (Image credit: AFP/Getty Images via @daylife)

Well those same retailers may want to, if they have not already, think about installing and implementing a new Point Of Sale (POS) system whereby iPads replace the traditional cash register.

I got to experience this not long ago myself as I took my kids out to get some yogurt and when I went to pay, there waiting for me was a clerk standing behind an iPad. Caught me completely off guard but I quickly realized this was indeed the future. I didn’t necessarily notice if the transaction was any quicker per se but then again I was the only one in line and I was in small retail location.

Now, if I were say at a stadium that would be a different story. We’ve all experienced the incessant standing in line at a concession stand during a sporting event or concert, etc.

The need for speed is never greater than when you want to get back to the action as fast as humanly possible.

Based upon recent news, I would say the future has arrived on a much larger scale as earlier this year Alabama State University (ASU) stadium became home to the first iPad POS on such a large and grandiose scale. During the very first game of the year, Gourmet Services (the concession vendor at the stadium) put their new Revel Systems’ iPad POS system to the test and rang up a record 5,721 transactions in just a few hours.

Brian Webb from ASU was very impressed with the iPad IOS system and thinks every stadium can benefit from such a platform. “Definitely every stadium can benefit from something this. Having this kind of system improves our bottom line and saves us time,” he said.

For Alfred Baker, executive vice-president at Gourmet Services, it all comes to time as in time saved on both training and inventory. “Revel Systems’ iPad POS runs so much faster than the registers we were using before,” said Baker. “In just 30 minutes we had all of our staff trained on the POS. Best of all, we are saving a minimum of five hours a week on inventory. For example, we stocked 10,000 bottles for the game and only sold 3,000. Before Revel, we would have to count the remaining stock in each stand in order to place the order for the next game. Now I can just check all that from my computer or smartphone at any time, even as the game is in progress. Managing reports for 30 terminals was very time intensive, and with Revel it’s a breeze.”

I had a chance to dig a little deeper with Lisa Falzone, CEO and co-founder of Revel Systems.

Steve Olenski: What makes the Revel platform so unique and unlike any other?

Lisa Falzone: People graduate from other digital register apps to our POS platform for several reasons. Business owners are really seeking to streamline every aspect of their business without sacrificing high quality hardware, powerful business intelligence reporting, accessibility of the cloud and the best third party integrations, and that’s where Revel comes in to play. The Revel Systems iPad point-of-sale solution is built with speed, security and accessibility in mind. Since we’ve evolved our solution based on customer feedback, there are many features that our customers love but most owners comment on how our hybrid architecture really sets us apart. We are the only company with “offline mode,” which means we have the speed of a local server but operate with the security and accessibility of the cloud. If you lose power for a minute or your Wi-Fi goes out, you can continue to operate and proceed with business as usual.

Other systems have to sync to the cloud constantly, so they slows down operations. But since we are cloud-based, users can access all of their data from any smart device at any time, and that is having a great impact on the way that our users conduct their business. Since the mobility of our solution gives business owners the peace of mind they need we’ve had managers tell us they were actually able to take a vacation since they were still able to see what their sales reports look like on a Saturday afternoon at 2pm from the beach.

Olenski: What are some of the brands/industries you work with?

Falzone: Revel is an extremely and scalable model, so the sky is the limit regarding who is a fit for our system. We have strong footholds in retail, grocery, food services (restaurants, quick-serve, fast food, food trucks, etc.), and events (i.e. Alabama State University and the Orange County Fair), but we have worked with some really interesting boutiques as well. In essence, we can work with any vendor or establishment that wants more than just a register. We work with large franchises like Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, retail companies like Beachbody as well as non-profits like Goodwill.

Olenski: What does the future hold for POS for retailers and retail marketers?

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There are important key differences between a home device and a commercial electronics device. A sleek and slim design of a point of sale terminal is no doubt an important aspect for customers. More importantly aside from design ergonomics and aesthetics is functionality and reliability. Point of Sale equipment is specifically designed and tested to withstand daily high transaction volumes and constant physical use and abuse. Using an IPad in place of a commercially designed POS System is an experimental thought at best. Retailers who decide to go this path are only asking for trouble.

Personally I think it’s a no-brainer, and the points that Lisa made are spot-on. Of course there are certain environments that will benefit more from a tablet based POS, but I think if you dig into every business type, you’ll find at least one reason why a tablet POS is a better option than a traditional register (e.g. lower cost, inventory management, analytics, cost, line-busting, etc…). Plus, an iPad POS just looks better. :)

If you look at the vendors that we’ve reviewed on our site (MerchantMaverick.com) you can see that the industry is moving in that direction. The number of players is growing. Definitely exciting to watch the transition as it plays out.

Tablet based mPOS business suites are cheaper, take up less space and besides time management and inventory control they often have loyalty or mobile marketing solutions integrated.

mPOS will definitely transform the retail sector but it also offers excellent solutions for the restaurant sector as the integration of wait list or seating management software together with mobile messaging will see the standard restaurant buzzers/pagers become obsolete in a few years.

I have owned a restaurant for 26 years now. A little over a year ago I decided to invest in a POS system and purchased REVEL. The system it self was and to this day is not finished. In my case it crashes and can give faulty information about sales. Support is lacking in experienced technicians and as a example 5 calls in two days were placed before i received a support call back. Beware.

Although I do agree that iPad and tablet based point of sale systems are the wave of the future (especially for retail stores), its important to note that not every iPad / tablet based POS system that is emerging is of high quality. So retailers still need to do fair amount of shopping around before the select the system that is best for them. In some of the reviews that we have done (POS-Guide.com), we have uncovered fantastic iPad POS systems as well as less than adequate ones.

I am also excited to see how these point of sale companies adapt and gain functionality and popularity in the restaurant/hospitality industry.

Tampa based MenuPad Inc has a product line of iPad applications designed around the insight that businesses and consumers have various levels of comfort and understanding with technology. MenuPad Premium puts consumers in total control their dining experience, allowing them to order and pay when they want. ServerPad provides the waitstaff similar efficiencies and is designed for restaurants who want to retain control. PayPad is bill pay solution that keep the credit card at the table and allows restaurants to collect feedback at the end of the meal. The full product line is available at the company’s web site. Also check out case study Apple did on them.

www.payanywhere.com is offering the first free tablet program I have seen. All you have to do is sign up at www.northamericanbancard.com/offer and you get a free credit card reader and tablet to run your business.

In my opinion Yes . . An iPad POS can be considered as a major breakthrough in retail technology, as with the help of this a proprietor may now spend prolonged hours in his store stowing inventories, placing orders, and performing other tasks that are often done by the computer in a large establishment. In fact, iPad POS is a great tool for both small business and large business entrepreneurs. While it proves to be a cost-effective solution for small business owners considering that they cannot afford big budget expenses on point-of-sale system; for large business owners, an iPad POS can be a great way to boost business and expand sales through integration of multiple points at affordable costs.

REVEL POS REVIEW: Terrible service, unstable system, unprofessional. We just purchased 14 units and have had nothing but problems. There are about 3-4 people who run this sham and they are in business to rip you off..BECAREFUL…Do not buy this POS…From crashing, to timing out, to no support. They have a lot to work out. People who have had other systems know what a POS should be..this is not a POS…it a Piece of SH**…If anyone is reading this and is also having the same problems please feel free to reach out to me..I am having my lawyer, who is my cousin, form a lawsuit against them. I am also contacting the BBB also to make sure it is documented. You should do the same. This company should not be in business. I second everything the 1 star reviews had to say. Watch out!!!

I am using a newer cloud-based point of sale system for Ipad from posIPOS, and it works very well for me. If you have multiple restaurants (only have 3), you can manage everything from one central interface, and you can share your menu items between all restaurants, or define custom ones. Also, you can view reports for all locations, and it has very low fees for credit card processing, and it also lets you split payments, add tips, refund payments and more.

some people think that PC POS or cash registers can be the best because they don’t want to change. However, i think they will soon be out of dated. now the number of mobile POS apps ( like SimiPOS : http://www.magestore.com/simipos/) used in retail store is higher and higher, if they do not update their POS system, they will be left behind.

Topaz Signature Pads are very helpful for my business because I have to sign thousands of documents and checks daily. It has made my work a lot simpler. Take advantage of POS and enhance the Company growth. By the help of POS, you get a lot of profit which is beneficial for you.

I find it alarming that Forbes is willing to post an article about Revel as a “POS system of the future” when they do not appear to have any presence as a validated payment application according the the Security Standards Council.

Last I heard somewhere around 40% of data theft happens in the restaurant industry, I would imagine the “future of POS” would be with a provider that took the time to invest in remaining PCI Compliant on all fronts. Especially when companies that are PCI compliant still battle breaches (i.e. Domino’s) after investing in additional measure to secure customer data.

My experience is that most of the big guys can use iPads etc. to run their software and they ARE PCI compliant. Not trying to throw mud, but this article just seems misleading and more of a marketing ploy than anything else.

Steve you failed to mention the inherent issues of playing by Apple’s rules–meaning that at anytime if Apple finds Revel (or insert POS company here) to be outside of their agreements they can be pulled from the App store.